Uptown Grant Program (Round 1)

The Uptown Program is designed to fast-track the formation of local business communities & facilitate the growth of their districts into vibrant going-out hubs in line with the NSW Government's 24-Hour Economy Strategy for Greater Sydney.

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Key information

Status: Closed
Grant amount: From $100,000 to $200,000
Application opened: 7 February 2023
Application closed: 9 March 2023, 2:00 pm

Program objective

The Uptown Grant Program (Round 1) aims to establish self-sustaining districts that have a distinct identity and offering by:

installing a co-ordination function for effective district management
building consumer engagement and connection with the district.

The program will deliver this objective by providing seed funding to teams of aligned local business communities (district teams) to support them with the establishment and coordination of their district, and consumer engagement activities.

This program is administered by Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport and Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner.

This program is funded by Create NSW and Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner.

Eligibility

The program is open to eligible applicants from distinct geographical districts within Greater Sydney that demonstrate a unique identity and entertainment offering and a sustainable operating model.

Who can apply

District teams that meet the following eligibility criteria can apply:

are an incorporated association or an alternative or proposed entity
are in an eligible local government area (LGA).

Districts are distinct local geographical areas (such as high streets or blocks of streets) that have a unique identity and diverse cultural and entertainment offerings across multiple venues and locations. Districts can cross local government borders. Applicants will be asked during the application process to identify the geographical boundary of their district, noting that funding cannot be used for activities outside of the approved district.

A district team is made up of 5 or more local businesses and other organisations that are aligned under a unified identity as a means of engaging residents in and visitors to a district.

District teams can apply for seed funding valued at up to $200,000 but no less than $100,000, excluding GST.

**Eligible LGAs**
1. Bayside Council	12. City of Hawkesbury	23. City of Parramatta
2. Blacktown City Council	13. The Hills Shire	24. City of Penrith
3. Blue Mountains City Council	14. Hornsby Shire	25. City of Randwick
4. Municipality of Burwood	15. Municipality of Hunter’s Hill	26. City of Ryde
5. Camden Council	16. Inner West Council	27. Municipality of Strathfield
6. Campbelltown City Council	17. Ku-ring-gai Council	28. Sutherland Shire
7. City of Canada Bay	18. Lane Cove Council	29. City of Sydney
8. City of Canterbury-Bankstown	19. City of Liverpool	30. Waverley Council
9. Cumberland City Council	20. Mosman Council	31. City of Willoughby
10. Fairfield City Council	21. North Sydney Council	32. Municipality of Woollahra
11. Georges River Council	22. Northern Beaches Council	33. Wollondilly Shire

Who can't apply

Ineligible entities for the program include:

an individual (including sole traders)
partnerships
businesses that are insolvent
Australian or NSW Government agencies, state owned corporations, or statutory authorities
local government authorities or their Section 355 Committees.

Eligible activities

Establishment and coordination

A minimum of 50% of the total allocated funding must be spent on establishing and coordinating your district. This activity may take the
form of:

salary/wages and entitlements for employees specifically engaged for the project, that is the direct employment of a staff member to manage the coordination of your district and its activities
contract employment of a staff member(s) to manage the coordination of your district and its activities
third party professional services to manage the coordination of your district and its activities.

Note: The staff member may be employed by either the incorporated association, alternative or proposed entity or a member business that is reimbursed. Businesses will be required to provide evidence of any payments relating to the above activities. Payments must be in line with relevant standards, industry rates and awards (if applicable).

Consumer engagement

The remaining funding may be used for marketing and promotional activities to increase consumer awareness and engagement with the district (excluding consumer events and activations). This activity may take the form of:

advertising and/or marketing campaign (including design and production costs)
public relations
website development
consumer-facing engagement tool(s)
trade events.

What can't be funded

The following activities are ineligible for funding under the proceeds of a grant under the program.

consumer events and activations
rent and utilities
maintenance and repairs
capital works
equipment
fundraising/prizes
education
filmmaking, screen production, mainstream animation or film festivals
activity that constitutes the normal course of business for district team members
activity that takes place outside of the eligible district
activity that takes place after the end of the grant funding period.

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

You can only submit 1 application for your district team.

A business is eligible to participate in only 1 district team, with the exception of businesses operating multiple venues under one ABN.

Businesses operating multiple venues under one ABN are eligible to participate in more than 1 district team, provided that:

each venue participates in only 1 district team
each venue operates at a different address
the venue name and address are specified in the application form, in addition to the business name.

Prepare your application with this checklist

You will need to provide as part of your application:

the total grant amount requested
a district team profile including a list of the number, names and details of businesses involved
evidence that your district team:
- is represented by an incorporated association including your membership, constitution, and ABN or
- is or will be represented by an alternative or proposed entity.
a nominated lead representative for your district team, including contact information and relevant identity documentation
a description of the geographical boundary of your district including the LGA(s) in which the district is located
a clear and concise district vision
evidence of current partnerships and/or a plan to identify and develop future partnerships, to illustrate a sustainable approach beyond this seed funding
a well substantiated budget plan for how you will spend the grant, including marketing costs for planned brand assets and details of any co-contributions to the activity
how you will manage risks and governance.

Address the eligibility criteria

Incorporated association

To be eligible to apply, the incorporated association must:

have an applicable Australian Business Number (ABN)
be an incorporated association at the time of application
be registered for GST
be able to execute a funding agreement with the NSW Government if successful.

Alternative or proposed entity

To be eligible to apply, the alternative or proposed entity must:

be represented by a lead applicant with an applicable Australian Business Number (ABN)
include a minimum of 5 businesses (inclusive of the lead applicant)
have or will obtain an applicable Australian Business Number (ABN)
be or can become registered for GST
be able to execute a funding agreement if successful.

Note: District teams proposing to become an incorporated association should apply under the ‘Alternative or proposed entity’ stream.

Address the assessment criteria

Your application will be assessed against the following 5 assessment criteria: composition, governance and budget, vision, use of funds and longevity.

You will be required to provide the following information to demonstrate and substantiate how your application meets these criteria:
Assessment criteria and weighting	Evidence to include in application
Composition (20%)	Demonstrate diversity within the incorporated district team’s membership and/or remit. Details of the membership of the district team including a breakdown of: the names of the businesses involved the sectors represented.
Governance and budget (20%)	Evidence of the incorporated association or alternative or proposed entity and the financial budget of the proposed activities to be undertaken. Evidence of corporate documents and existing governance arrangements (to the satisfaction of DEIT) Evidence of the budget breakdown and expenditure plan (timeline) for the seed funding within a 12-month period on Eligible Activities for the District. Evidence of consideration given to challenges and risks and how they will be managed and governed by the District Team in the short and long term. Alternative or Proposed Entities must demonstrate in their application that they are, or intend to become, an entity structure that has appropriate membership and governance arrangements in place (to the satisfaction of DEIT). The membership and governance arrangements will be assessed by DEIT (in its absolute discretion) but should address at a minimum the following: details of the members and membership structure process to manage liability of the individual members process to appoint an authorised representative and contact details of the authorised representative process to agree on key decisions process to manage financial obligations (including in relation to receiving funding to a bank account and management and distribution of funding) meetings and record keeping process to ensure the entity complies with legal and regulatory obligations (if required) financial reporting obligations (if required).
Vision (20%)	Demonstrate the district team’s vision and approach to delivering it. A vision statement for the district that summarises the district’s aims and a high-level framework of how the district team will deliver it. The vision should include: a future character or identity statement for the district description of existing and/or desired audience/s. Demonstrate alignment between the district team’s vision and the objectives of the Uptown Grant Program (that is, to create self-sustainable districts that have a distinct identity and offering, coordination function in place, and strong brand engagement with consumers).
Use of funds (20%)	Evidence of how the district team: will establish and utilise its coordination function, including a summary of activities to be undertaken (such as meeting co-ordination, partner identification, business networking and any other action areas identified in the vision) will build consumer awareness and engagement with the district.
Longevity (20%)	Demonstrate capacity to secure partnerships and other revenue streams. Evidence of how your district team will employ strategies to identify, attract and engage sponsors, partners, councils and other government agencies, including evidence of any past or current partnerships (this may include activities of individual members of the district teams).

Start the application

Applications for this Round 1 grant are now closed.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: The Secretary of the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade (DEIT).

Confirmation: Once you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation from our secure online grants system. Applications received after the closing date and time will be considered late and extension or late submissions will not be accepted.

Eligibility check: Your application will then be checked for eligibility against the published Eligibility Criteria. If eligible, your application will proceed to the next assessment stage. If ineligible, you will be advised via email within 14 days of the closing date and your application may not proceed to assessment.

DEIT reserves the right to provide applicants with an opportunity to provide clarification or additional information regarding eligibility requirements, as long as the principles of probity are not breached. Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible unless otherwise determined by DEIT.

Governance review: DEIT or a nominated advisor will review and provide advice to the assessment panel on how an application made by an incorporated association or alternative or proposed entity meets the governance criteria after the eligibility criteria is met. This is to ensure sufficiently robust governance and accountability in the operating model.

Assessment stage 1: The assessment panel will then assess all eligible applications against the published assessment criteria. The assessment panel will be chaired by DEIT and include senior representatives from at least 2 different NSW Government agencies. External experts/advisors may be invited to provide advice as part of the assessment process.

Assessment stage 2: The assessment panel scores will be amalgamated and presented at an assessment meeting to determine their final recommendations. They will consider the assessment criteria, the demographics, distribution, range, and scale of the initial recommendations.

This may include prioritising applicants, individuals and activities with outcomes that address and ensure equity and the best outcomes for NSW Government investment. DEIT may also request further advice and/or clarification from applicants during the assessment process.

You are not guaranteed funding, or the full funding amount requested, even if your application meets the assessment criteria.

Application results: All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications under embargo as soon as possible after an application is approved.

If your application is successful, you will be sent a funding agreement (contract). This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your grant reporting requirements.

Support and contact

For further information or clarification, please contact Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade staff between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday on:

Phone: (02) 8289 6520

Email: uptown@create.nsw.gov.au

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